Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin on March 4, 2011 at 10:41am

I use one (Dexcom) when I'm riding. Definitely helpful to provide warning before getting low. I carry tubes of glucose gel if I do get low. Having a pump is great for longer rides because I can lower the basal rate during the riding. And don't forget that Medic Alert id (or something similar) when you're out riding. Fortunately I've never needed it but you never know. I've been cycling as long as I've been diabetic (36 years) and I can thank cycling for no evidence of any diabetic complications.

Permalink Reply by miketosh on March 4, 2011 at 11:34am

Do you mean Continuous Glucose Monitors? CGM's are great if you can get them paid for by insurance. Regular BG Meters are indispensible. Haha, I also thought you said you were diagnosed this morning, but now that I re-read it, I assume you meant you haven't ridden in a while.

Permalink Reply by Garry on April 8, 2011 at 3:42pm

Congratulations on the ride. Stay with it, it only gets better.

In addition to my emergency kit of tools and spare innertube, I always carry a tube of glucose tablets and a glucose meter when I ride. Better safe than sorry. I also carry a stash of glucose tablets in my pocket that I eat along the way.

A CGM would be great tool. My doctor loaned me one for a few days, it was enlightening. I'm a Type 2, so the insurance company won't buy me one as a matter of course. I'm debating with myself whether I want to buy one on my own, they're expensive, on the order of $1500, plus expendable supplies.

If you want to get really inspired, google 'Team Type 1'. They're a competitive bike racing team of type 1 diabetics. They use pumps and CGMs to monitor and dose themselves during a race. They won the RAAM (Race Across America) a while back. They're amazing.

Permalink Reply by MeganJ on April 9, 2011 at 9:32pm

That's great! Keep riding, it's a great way to maintain good insulin sensitivity. I personally would recommend an insulin pump. It makes a big difference to be able to decrease your basal insulin levels. Before I had a pump I would decrease my lantus dose the night before a ride. It's good to carry snacks with you, and definitely a supply of rapid acting glucose. You can try putting gatorade in your water bottles, and I also like to suck on jolly ranchers part of the time to maintain adequate BGs. Some other things that may or may not be obvious, but don't bolus insulin for a BG correction or for food before a ride. I also typically like to start my rides at a BG of about 150mg/dL. At first, be cautious, test often, and bring lots of carbs. That's all I've got, and I'm still learning too!

Permalink Reply by dside on April 11, 2011 at 7:50pm

Thanks for the tips. Planning my first big ride (50 miles) since starting on insulin 2 months ago and was planning on bringing a bunch of Gu packs, some gatorade and my meter. I guess it'll be a big experiment. I drop between 30 and 40 BG points on 4 mile/20 minute local rides. Maybe I'll see what a Jolly Rancher does on a short ride. Anyone else, any other suggestions?

Permalink Reply by parker34 on April 10, 2011 at 11:44am

Cheers guys for all replys ! I'm in the UK and ive looked into cgm's a bit and i'm looking at £2500 ish ! my insulin has now been changed to 4 injections a day, 3 novorapids and 1 levemir, and my blood is typicaly sitting between 4.4 and 8.6 and i havent been out yet so fingers crossed ! now the weathers getting better i will be out and finding out what suits me best, ill keep you all posted ! and Megan what is 150mg/dl as this is a different reading to what my bg tester give's me ?

Permalink Reply by Bradford on April 10, 2011 at 11:59am

Formula for calculation of mg/dl from mmol/l: mg/dl = 18 × mmol/l
Formula for calculation of mmol/l from mg/dl: mmol/l = mg/dl / 18

So your example of 4.4 and 8.6 means you typically range between 79 and 155ish.

Good luck w/ finding a happy middle ground w/ the BGs and riding!

Permalink Reply by parker34 on April 10, 2011 at 12:08pm

THanks Bradford.

Permalink Reply by Lindsey O'Rourke on April 13, 2011 at 12:25am

Awesome! I just starting riding again last week. I use to ride a lot as a kid, with my dad. We'd ride from our house to the beach and then down the coast. I must have been in SO much better shape then... Cause we'd go for 15-20 miles and now, 10 miles is tough. It's been fantastic to feel the wind against my back (not against it, Mr. Wind is EVIL. lol!), and being able to smell the wild plants and the beach.
Now that I'm riding, I'm really considering getting a CGM - just for the early warnings that it would give me.
I've been cutting back on the insulin at breakfast for a morning ride, testing before I leave on my ride, at my half way point, drink a juice box, and then test when I get back. So far that's been working, but I also don't want to consume extra calories to keep my sugars up. The snacking on the tabs while riding sounds like a good idea.
Also, I've been much more sensitive to my insulin. I've had to back down my lunch time bolus to accomodate the ride BG burnage.
So glad there is this group! Looking forward to more tips and hearing how your riding stories are going!